On The Beat
Ron triumphs
By Kerry Doole
RON SEXSMITH: Our vote for show of the year to date now goes to Ron Sexsmith's recent debut at Massey Hall. It's been a life-long dream of his to play the hallowed hall, and, after initial nerves, he rose to the occasion brilliantly. Great to see a full house too, with patrons including GORDON LIGHTFOOT. When the crowd spied Gord at intermission, they rose in a loud standing ovation! In a generous two-hour performance, Sexsmith played favourites from throughout his prolific career (now at 10 albums strong). He and drummer/cellist DON KERR sang a lovely duet from their recent album, while ANDY KIM guested on a cover of his "How Did We Ever Get This Way" hit. New songs from the upcoming new CD, Time Being, sounded highly promising, and, in On The Beat's view, it might just be Ron's best album yet. His stage banter was charming and funny, as when he joked 'I'm going to get BUBLE on your ass," before delivering a killer crooning version of his ballad "Foolproof." Offering Ron congrats at the backstage party later were a virtual who's who of the local music scene, including the likes of JIM CUDDY, BAZIL DONOVAN, KEVIN HEARN, BOB WISEMAN, HAYDEN, HOWIE BECK, KURT SWINGHAMMER, TOM WILSON and many many more. Sexsmith is arguably the best-loved artist in town, and such well-deserved success could not happen to a nicer guy.
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